Joshua Yorkshire
12-1-14
Extra Credit (Cannibalism)
Cannibalism may seem like something only found in the movies. Unfortunately, that may
be far from the truth. Evidence shows cannibalism have been around for hundreds of years. A
debate today is raging on about cannibalism. Some say it was widely used, while others say it
was not a common practice. Evidence supporting cannibalism includes breakage, specific
scratches, and placement of the bones. Archeologist, Ann Gibbons says that cannibalism was a
common practice in prehistoric societies. She believes cannibalism was involved in survival,
spiritual practices, medicinal purposes and war reasons. These claims are dated back to 800,000
years ago. Others believe cannibalism was around but was never a practiced exercise. They say
that the reason for certain scratches and breaks of the bones that would support the cannibalism,
could actually be caused by animals or natural disasters. For example, they say that the physical
evidence could come from a dangerous animal or a cave collapsing.
Those who feel cannibalism was once used as a common practice feel that cannibalism
was part of prehistoric history, and accepted in that society. To try to prove the cannibalism
theory, archaeologists analyze patterns of bone breakage, scratches on the bone, and the locations
of the remains. Neanderthals, Aztecs and the people of Fiji all show signs of eating each other.
This has been dating back 800,000 years. In 1967, bio archeologist, Christy Turner II, found
thirty human remains in Arizona. This shows evidence that ancient Indians had a feast with these
people, considering the cut and burn marks. Evidence showed that the animal remains left, had
similar marks, proving that animals were not responsible for the massacre.
In 1981, the “Bodo skull” from Ethiopia has a series of fine lines on the cheek bones and
eye sockets, which paleoanthropologists examined. The conclusion was that the scratches were
from de-fleshing and not from animals, excavation, or trampling. The reason of why the defleshing took place, but studies point to cannibalism. One of the most convincing arguments
include the study of twenty nine individuals from 1000 years ago, whose remains were dispersed,
beheaded, roasted and broken open over a rock anvils. The long bones were broken and
evidence shows this was used for the consumption of the bone marrow. A new type of damage to
bones, “pot-polish”, supported a hypothesis that the heads were boiled by a shiny residue left
behind on the bone.
In Madrid, Spain six 800,000 year old individuals were found in an ancient cave. The
discovery shows that the bones were decapitated, de-fleshed, and then dumped. This is
supporting cannibalism was used for ritual de-fleshing. There is a lot of room for skeptics to not
believe this theory. The evidence they would need would be a mummified gut with human
remains in it. From what facts are shown today, cannibalism was a common exercise of
prehistoric society.
The first and largest fossil of “Homo erectus pekinensis”, the “Peking Man” was
discovered in a cave in China. By 1982, in that same cave, 45 other individuals were unearthed.
The individuals were cave dwellers dating 600,000-300,000 years old. Ash deposits in the cave
support they mastered fire use and are thought to be cannibals. Tools and animal remains were
found with them, supporting their hunting skills. What questioned researchers the most was that
the skulls stood out compared to the rest of their remains. Expert’s state that this relative of
Homo sapiens were head-hunters, who preyed on Homo erectus. Cannibalism seems as the only
reasonable explanation, but some supported the giant hyena hypothesis. Some hypothesize that
giant hyenas were the cause of the remains, crushed skulls, and broken long bones.
Cannibalism may seem like something only found in the movies. Unfortunately, that may
be far from the truth. Evidence shows cannibalism have been around for hundreds of years. A
debate today is raging on about cannibalism. Some say it was widely used, while others say it
was not a common practice. Evidence supporting cannibalism includes breakage, specific
scratches, and placement of the bones. Others believe cannibalism was around but was never a
practiced exercise. They say that the reason for certain scratches and breaks of the bones that
would support the cannibalism, could actually be caused by animals or natural disasters. There is
no for sure answer about how prominent cannibalism was in ancient civilizations. One thing that
is for sure, is whether it was widely used or not, it was still a practice that was used in ancient
civilization.